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Table of Contents

Configuring LAT

Configuring LAT

This chapter describes Cisco Systems' implementation of the DEC Local Area Transport (LAT) transmission protocol. You will find information about the following tasks in this chapter:

The Local Area Transport Protocol

DEC's Local Area Transport (LAT) protocol is the protocol used most often to connect terminals to DEC hosts. LAT is a DEC-proprietary protocol. Cisco uses LAT technology licensed from DEC.

The LAT protocol is similar to TCP/IP's Telnet protocol in that it allows a user at one site to establish a connection to a host at another site, then passes the keystrokes from one system to the other. A user can establish a LAT connection through the terminal server to a DEC host, simply by entering the host name.

One main difference between the TCP/IP Telnet and LAT protocols is that LAT cannot be routed, as can Telnet over the IP protocol. Because DEC's LAT protocol includes its own transport protocol which runs directly over Ethernet, rather than a standard routing layer, it cannot be passed by a router. (Refer to Figure 1-1.) A bridge or combined bridge and router, such as the Cisco routers, must be used to carry LAT traffic across a wide area network.

LAT is available as an option to the Cisco terminal servers.


Figure 1-1: Comparing LAT and Telnet Protocol Stacks



LAT Services

Resources such as modems, computers, and application software are viewed in a LAT network as services that, potentially, any user in the network may use. LAT services are given a unique name that identifies them on the LAT network. Your Cisco terminal server software creates a dynamic table of known LAT services (collectively called learned services). It collects this information by listening to service advertisement messages, also called service announcements, from LAT nodes. These messages are sent using Ethernet multicast messages, which contain lists of services offered, their rating, and identification.

While the Telnet protocol connects to specific nodes, or hosts, on the network, LAT searches for nodes that offer the service you request. If that service is offered by more than one node, the service with the highest rating is chosen.

The software supports the DEC load balancing and service rating functions that help ensure equitable and efficient service to all users. Load balancing serves to spread the user load evenly among the service nodes. Service ratings are a measure of the ability of service nodes to accept new connections. Service ratings are dynamically determined, but may also be statically set using the Cisco LAT configuration commands.

LAT Groups

As potentially any user on a LAT network can access any of the services on the network, a LAT server manager uses the concept of group codes to allow or restrict access to the services.

When the group codes on both the terminal server and the LAT host share a common group code, a connection can be established between the two. If the default group codes have not been changed, a user on any terminal server can connect to any learned service on the network.

However, if you define groups for terminal servers and LAT hosts, you can partition these services into logical subnetworks. You can organize the groups so that users on one terminal server view one set of services, and users on another terminal server (or another line on the same server) view a different set.

You may wish to design a plan that correlates group numbers with organizational groups, such as departments. You can define subgroups using the global and line configuration commands described in this chapter. The section "Group Code Syntax" later in this chapter describes how to enter group code lists in the Cisco software commands.

A LAT host node's services cannot be accessed in part; access is granted, per node, on an all-or-none basis.

LAT Sessions and Connection Support

A LAT session is a two-way logical connection between a LAT service and the terminal server. All this is transparent to the user at a console connected to a LAT session; to the user it appears that connection has been made to the desired device or application program.

When a host connects to a terminal server, this is called a host-initiated connection. The terminal server maintains a queue of hosts desiring connection by sending periodic status messages to the requesting host. Connection can be to any type of LAT service. A typical example would be a printer.

It is possible to determine which LAT hosts have queue entries for printers on terminal servers using the EXEC command show entry. Additionally, it is possible for privileged users to delete entries using the clear entry command. (These commands are described more fully in later sections of this chapter.)

Host-initiated connections can also be made to services defined on the terminal server, instead of port numbers. These same services are used for connections from other terminal servers.


Note If a connection request is received which specifies a service and a destination port name, the port name is used to determine the line number for connection purposes. This allows a user to connect to a specified port of the terminal server simply by specifying any service on the server and a port number. (Earlier versions of the terminal server software ignored the service name on inbound connections.)

If a host-initiated connection is received which specifies a destination port number that corresponds to a virtual port on the terminal server, a virtual EXEC will be created for the user to log in with. This can be used, in conjunction with the DEC set host/dte command on VMS, to connect to a Cisco terminal server from a VMS host node.

Cisco's Implementation of LAT

Cisco's terminal server software fully supports the DEC LAT protocol suite, and additionally, supports these features:

The following sections describe how to make LAT connections and customize the LAT environment on the Cisco terminal server.

Making LAT Connections

This section describes how to establish a LAT connection, and how to view your LAT connections and learned services.

Establishing a Connection

Use the EXEC command lat to establish a connection to a LAT learned service. The command has this syntax:

lat name [node nodename| port portname | /debug]

Enter this command at the EXEC prompt. It can be entered simply by typing the name of the service to which you want to attach, or with the optional keywords listed in the above syntax description. You can also just simply enter the service name to make the connection.

The optional keyword node specifies connection to a specific LAT node which offers a service. Enter the name of the node in place of the nodename argument. If you do not include the node option, the node with the highest rating offering the service is used. Use the EXEC command show lat nodes to display information about all known LAT nodes (see the section "Monitoring LAT" for more information about this command).

The optional keyword port specifies a destination LAT port name. This keyword is ignored in most timesharing systems, but is used by terminal servers offering reverse LAT services. Enter the port name in the format of the remote system in place of the portname argument.

The optional keyword /debug is a switch that, when enabled, prints parameter changes and other special messages on the terminal.


Note With Cisco's implementation of LAT, you are not required to enter the word lat to establish a LAT connection. If you prefer, you can just enter the LAT learned service name. To show a listing of the available LAT learned services, use the show lat services command (see the section "Monitoring LAT" for more information about this command).
Example 1:

The following example establishes a LAT connection from the terminal server named TS to the host Eng2.

ts>lat Eng2
Trying ENG2...Open
         ENG2 - VAX/VMS V5.2
Username:JSmith
Password:
    Welcome to VAX/VMS version V5.2 on node ENG2
    Last interactive login on Friday,  6-APR-1990 19:46

The LAT protocol is explicitly specified in this example. You specify the protocol when your preferred transport is set to "none" or to another protocol. The terminal server responds with "Trying <system>..." and then "Open." If the connection were not successful you would receive a failure message.

Example 2:

The following example establishes a LAT connection from the terminal server named TS to the cisco-modems service and specifies port 24, which might be a special modem:

ts>lat cisco-modems port 24
Example 3:

The following example establishes a LAT connection from the terminal server named TS to the cisco-modems service and specifies a node named Eng:

ts>lat cisco-modems node eng
Example 4:

The following example uses the LAT session debugging capability.

ts>lat Eng2 /debug
Trying ENG2...Open
        ENG2 - VAX/VMS V5.2
 Username:JSmith
 Password:
    Welcome to VAX/VMS version V5.2 on node ENG2
    Last interactive login on Tuesday, 10-APR-1990 19:02
[Set Flow out off, Flow in on, Format 8:none, Speed 9600/9600]
[Set Flow out off, Flow in on, Format 8:none, Speed 9600/9600]
$ set ter/speed=2400
[Set Flow out off, Flow in on, Format 8:none, Speed 2400/2400]

A variety of LAT events are reported, including all requests by the remote system to set local line parameters. The messages within brackets ([ ]) above are the messages produced by the remote system setting line characteristics to operating system defaults.

You may open more than one connection by typing the escape sequence Ctrl-^, X (done by typing and holding the Ctrl, SHIFT and ^ keys, then releasing those keys and typing the "X" key) to return to the EXEC prompt. Enter the show session EXEC command described in the "Using the Terminal Server" chapter to display open sessions. Enter the resume command with the connection number desired to return to a connection.

LAT Connections to Password Protected Services

Connection to password protected servers is supported in the following manner: When a user attempts to connect to such a service, the terminal server will prompt for a password to be entered. The user can abort the connection by typing Ctrl-C or can enter the password for a given service to complete the connection.

Configuring LAT

Cisco's LAT protocol is supplied with a default configuration, and does not require additional configuration for you to use it. The software does provide commands for customizing the LAT software for your environment, if desired.

Following are the basic steps for using and configuring LAT on the Cisco terminal server.

Step 1: Create group code lists for advertising available services.

Step 2: Define a group list for outgoing connections, if needed.

Step 3: Define a list of services for inbound session support, if needed.

Step 4: Configure reverse LAT connections, whereby a Cisco terminal server runs the host portion of the LAT protocol.

Additionally, the software provides commands that allow you to set timers for the rate at which messages are sent, and for the wait interval between messages.

The commands to make these changes are done in configuration mode, which is privileged. To enter configuration mode, type the configure command at the EXEC prompt. You can then enter the commands described in this section. For more information about the configuration mode, see the chapter, "Configuring the System." .

Enabling or Disabling LAT

LAT, by default, is enabled on all Ethernet interfaces on terminal servers if the LAT option is purchased. To enable LAT on serial lines, and to configure protocol translation on the IGS, LAT must be explicitly enabled. Use this interface subcommand to do so:

[no] lat enabled

Use the no variation to disable LAT.

Example 1:

This example enables LAT:

!
interface ethernet 0
lat enabled
!
Example 2:

This example disables LAT on the same Ethernet interface:

!
interface ethernet 0
no lat enabled
!

Configuring Group Code Lists

This section describes how to configure group code lists used for making outgoing LAT connections. This section begins with a summary of the group code syntax.

Group Code Syntax

In the DEC LAT protocol, a group code is defined as a decimal number in the range 0 to 255. Some of the Cisco LAT configuration commands take a list of group codes; this is referred to as a group code list. The rules for entering numbers in a group code list follow:

A trailing enabled or disabled keyword can be used in the command line to change an existing list. Examples of this are provided in the sections describing the commands that use these features.

Defining the Group List for Outgoing Connections

You can refine the list of services to which a user may connect. You do this by defining the group code lists used for connections from specific lines using the lat out-group line subcommand. You can use this command to limit the connection choices for an individual line. When a user initiates a connection with a LAT host, the user's line must share a common group number with the remote LAT host before a connection can be made.

The lat out-group line subcommand defines the group list for the line's outgoing user-initiated connections. The command has this syntax:

lat out-group group

Group lists can also be defined with the terminal lat out-group EXEC command. This command is entered at the EXEC prompt instead of after a line command in the configuration file, and makes a local change to the group list. See the "Managing the System" chapter which describes terminal parameter setting commands.


Note If the host node and terminal server do not share a common group number, the host's services will not display when the user enters one of the show lat commands.
Example 1:

This example defines the services for three sets of lines, 1 through 7, 10 through 17, and 20 through 24:

!
line 1 7
lat out-group 12 18-23
line 10 17
lat out-group 12
line 20 24
lat out-group 12 18-23 44
!

Access to systems on the first set of lines is limited to groups 12, and 18 through 23; the second set is limited to group 12; the third set is limited to group codes 12, 18 through 23, and 44. All other lines use the default of group 0 (zero).

Example 2:

This examples illustrates how to make a local group list at the EXEC prompt:

ts>terminal lat out-group 14 16-18

Groups 14 and 16 through 18 are set for the local terminal. These settings remain in effect until the EXEC command exit is entered, or until the interval set with the exec-timeout command has passed unless the private command has been set (see the section "Saving User Configurations Between Sessions" in the chapter "Configuring the System"). The user may only enable groups authorized in the lat out-group line configuration command. This feature is used to limit the list size for the show lat services command.

Specifying Group List Logical Names

Use the lat group-list global configuration command to create group lists. The command asks for a name to be assigned to the group list. Specifying a name for a group lists simplifies the task of entering individual group codes. In other words, a name makes it easier to refer to a long list of group code numbers. The command has this syntax:

lat group-list name group [group...] [enabled|disabled]
no lat group-list
name [group [group...]] [enabled|disabled]

The argument name specifies the name of the group.

The argument group lists the group numbers. The list can be a single number, a list of numbers separated by spaces, or a range of numbers separated by a hyphen.


Note You must include the group parameter when entering this command or you will delete the entire named group-list.

The optional keyword enabled allows you to easily make incremental changes to the list, that is, you may add a group code without retyping the entire command.

The optional keyword disabled allows you to selectively remove a group code from the list.

The no lat group-list command removes the specified group list. The group list must already exist. To see a list of existing groups, use the EXEC command show lat groups command at the EXEC prompt.

Example 1:

The following example creates a new named group and verifies its group numbers.

!
lat group-list stockroom 71 99
!

This can be verified by entering the EXEC command show lat groups command (which is explained further in the section "Monitoring LAT"):

Example 2:

This example creates the new group named stockroom and defines it to include the group numbers 71 and 99.

ts>show lat groups
Group Name          Len   Groups
stockroom           13     71  99
Example 3:

The following example adds group code 101 to the group named stockroom:

!
lat group-list 101 enabled
!

A show lat groups command will verify that group code 101 has been added.

Example 4:

The following example deletes the group named cafeteria:

!
no lat group-list cafeteria
!

This can be verified by entering the EXEC show lat groups command.

Specifying the Groups to be Advertised

The lat service-group global configuration command specifies a group code mask to use when advertising all services for this node. The command has this syntax:

lat service-group {groupname|number|range} [enabled|disabled]
no lat service-group {groupname|number|range} [enabled|disabled]

You can enter a group code name specified by the lat group-list command using the groupname argument. You can enter a group code using the number argument. You can enter more than one group code by listing the numbers, or by listing a hyphenated range of numbers. You can also enter both a group code name and group codes.

The optional keyword enabled allows you to easily make incremental changes to the list, that is, you may add a group name or code without retyping the entire command.

The optional keyword disabled allows you to selectively remove a group name or code from the list.

If no service group is specified by the groupname argument, the terminal server defaults to advertising to group 0.


Note Use this global configuration command to control incoming services.
Example 1:

These commands set groups 100 through 103, then specify engineering as the group code list to advertise:

13
!
lat group-list engineering 100-103
lat service-group engineering enabled
!
Example 2:

This command sets the groups 1, 5, 20 through 36, and 52:

!
lat service-group 1 5 20-36 52
!

You could then enter this command to add group 99:

!
lat service-group 99 enabled
!

Note When these commands are written to non-volatile memory (using the EXEC write memory command), the system looks for an exact match on a group code name. If it finds one, it uses that name in the command. Otherwise, it writes out a list of numbers, using the range syntax whenever possible.

Inbound Session Support

Just as LAT services are offered by host computers, they also can be offered by terminal servers. A terminal server implements both the host and server portions of the LAT protocol. This allows connection from either hosts or terminal servers. When a host connects to a terminal server, this is called a host-initiated connection. Collectively, both types of connections are referred to as inbound connections.

The commands described in this section define support for host-initiated connections. This support includes refining the list of services which the terminal server will support. An incoming session may be to either a port or a service. The port name is the terminal line number, as reported by the show users all command. LAT services are defined with the lat service command, described below.

Enabling Inbound Services

LAT inbound services are defined using the lat service command. Each service offers attributes that the system manager can set to customize the LAT services as required for the particular environment. Not all of these attributes are necessary in a particular environment, and in fact, as the descriptions indicate, it does not make sense to use all the attributes for the same service.

Setting the LAT Password for a Service

The lat service service-name password global configuration command sets up a LAT password for the service.

lat service service-name password password
no lat service service-name password

The connecting user will be required to enter this password in order to complete the connection.

Use the argument service-name to define the service.

Specify the password with the password argument.


Note The password is obtained through the LAT password mechanism; Cisco terminal servers running software release 8.1 or earlier do not support this capability. Any services protected in this manner cannot be connected by a device running 8.1 or earlier software.
Example:

This command specifies service name BLUE and password secret.

!
lat service BLUE password secret
!

Setting the LAT Service ID for a Specific Service

The lat service service-name ident global configuration command sets the LAT service identification for the specified service. The full syntax of this command follows:

lat service service-name ident identification
no lat service service-name ident

Use the argument service-name to define the service.

The argument identification is a descriptive name (text only) that identifies the service. The identification is advertised to other servers on the network, and is displayed along with the list of name services on the LAN.

Example:

This command specifies the identification Welcome to TERM-SERV-A on service STELLA.

!
lat service STELLA ident Welcome to TERM-SERV-A
!

Specifying a Static Service Rating for a Specific Group

The lat service service-name rating global configuration command allows the network manager to set a static service rating for the specified service. The command syntax is as follows:

lat service service-name rating static-rating
no lat service service-name rating

Without the use of this command, the terminal server calculates a dynamic rating based on the number of free ports which can handle connections to the service. Setting a static rating overrides this calculation and causes the specified value to be used.

Use the argument service-name to define the service.

Use the argument static-rating to specify the static service rating. The rating must be in the range of 1 to 255. The default is to use a dynamic rating.

Example:

This command specifies a service rating of 84 on the service WHEEL:

!
lat service WHEEL rating 84
!

Configuring a Rotary Group

Use the lat service service-name rotary global configuration command to associate a rotary group with a service. When an inbound connection is received for this service, the terminal server establishes a reverse-LAT connection to a terminal in that rotary group. The full syntax of the command is as follows:

lat service service-name rotary group
no lat service service-name rotary

If the rotary option is not set, the connection will be to a virtual terminal session on the terminal server.

Use the argument service-name to define the service.

Use the group argument to specify the rotary group number.

Example:

This command creates a service called MODEM to establish a rotary group:

!
lat services MODEMS rotary 1
!

Rotary groups are established using line configuration commands and the rotary line subcommand.

Example:

You can define a service that talks to a specific line, define a rotary with only that line specified. The following is an example of such a configuration:

hostname ciscots
! Service name for the terminal server as a whole
lat service ciscots enable
! Set up some lines with unique service names
line 1
rotary 1
lat service ciscots1 rotary 1
lat service ciscots1 enable
!
line 2
rotary 2
lat service ciscots2 rotary 2
lat service ciscots2 enable

Associating a Command with a Specific Service

The lat service service-name autocommand global configuration command associates a command with a service. The command has this syntax:

lat service service-name autocommand command
no lat service service-name autocommand

When an inbound connection is received for this service, the specified command will automatically be executed instead of the user receiving a virtual terminal session.

Use the argument service-name to define the service.

Use the command argument to specify the command to be associated with the service.

TACACS or port passwords are bypassed for these services; only the LAT password is checked.


Note Do not use this option with the rotary option.
Example:

This command associates the command telnet china-cat to the service CHINA-CAT.

!
lat service CHINA-CAT autocommand telnet china-cat
!

This command is auto-executed when an inbound connection is received.

Enabling Inbound Connections to a Specific Service

The lat service service-name enabled global configuration command enables inbound connections to the specified service, and enables the advertisement of this service to terminal servers on the network. The command syntax follows:

lat service service-name enabled
no lat service service-name enabled

In the simplest form, this command creates a service which gives connecting users access to a VTY port on the server.


Note It is suggested that the enabled command be used last when defining a service so that users do not connect to a service before all the parameters are set.

Use the argument service-name to define the service.

The command no lat service service-name deletes the specified service. However, deleting a service does not disconnect existing connections.

Example:

Enter this command when all configurations for a service are complete:

!
lat service WHEEL enabled
!

The above command enables inbound connections to the service WHEEL.

Configuring the Traffic Timers

Use the commands described in the following sections to customize the environment for transmitting LAT messages. Cisco's implementation of LAT allows you to set these features:

The commands in this section affect all LAT connection types.

Setting the Message Retransmit Limit

Use the lat retransmit-limit global configuration command to set the number of times that LAT can retransmit a message before declaring the remote system unreachable. The command has this syntax:

lat retransmit-limit number
no lat retransmit-limit

Set the number of retries with the argument number. The default value is eight retries. The number can be set at any number between 4 and 255 retries.

Assigning larger values to the number of tries increases the robustness of the LAT service at the cost of longer delays when communications are disrupted. As LAT generally retransmits messages once a second, the value is approximately the number of seconds that LAT connections will survive connection disruption.

If you bridge LAT, the retransmission limit should be set to at least 20 tries for LAT sessions to survive a worst-case spanning tree reconfiguration, because bridging spanning tree reconfiguration can take up to 15 seconds.

The no lat retransmit-limit command restores the default retry value.

Example:

This command sets the retransmission limit to 30 tries, enough time to sustain the down time incurred when the system must reconfigure a spanning tree topology:

!
lat retransmit-limit 30
!

Setting the Keepalive Timer

The keepalive timer sets the rate that messages are sent, in the absence of actual traffic between the terminal server and the remote node. The server uses keepalive messages to detect when communication with a remote node is disrupted, or when the remote node has crashed. Use the lat ka-timer global configuration command to set the keepalive timer to the specified value. The command has this syntax:

lat ka-timer seconds
no lat ka-timer

Use the argument seconds to set the rate. The default rate is 20 seconds. The no lat ka-timer command restores the default.

Example:

This command resets the keep alive timer to 5 seconds:

!
lat ka-timer 5
!

Setting the Virtual Circuit Timer

The virtual circuit timer sets the time that LAT will wait before sending any traffic. Use the lat vc-timer global configuration command to set the virtual-circuit timer to the specified value. The command has this syntax:

lat vc-timer milliseconds
no lat vc-timer

Use the argument milliseconds to specify the timer value. The default timer value is 80 milliseconds. Smaller values increase the overhead on both the terminal server and the host. However, you can use smaller values to correct buffer overflows, which happens when the terminal server receives more data than it can buffer during a virtual circuit timer interval.

Larger values increase the need for terminal server buffering, and can cause noticeable echoing delay. However, increased values can reduce traffic. In environments with slow bridging, retransmissions can be reduced if you increase the value to at least three times the worst-case, round-trip interval.

The no lat vc-timer command returns the default value.

Example:

The following example sets the virtual circuit timer to 10 milliseconds.

!
lat vc-timer 10
!

LAT Configuration Examples

This section lists configuration examples that illustrate use of the commands described in this chapter.

Establishing Basic Service

This command establishes basic LAT service for the service group named "WHEEL."

Example:
!
! Establish line connections
line 1 7
lat out-group 12 18-23
!
! Establish list of group codes and service groups
lat group-list HUBS 12 18-23
lat service-group HUBS enabled
!
! Establish inbound session support
lat service WHEEL password secret
lat service WHEEL ident Welcome to the Machine
lat service WHEEL autocommand telnet wheel
lat service WHEEL enabled
!
! Set the timers
lat retransmit-limit 30
lat ka-timer 5
!

Configuring LAT Rotary Groups

The following example illustrates how to configure a range of lines for rotary connections, then establishes the LAT service Modems for rotary connection.

!
! Establish rotary groups
line 3 7
rotary 1
!
! Establish modem rotary service
!
lat service Modems rotary 1
lat service Modems enabled

See the section "Configuring Reverse Connections" under "Configuring the Modem Control Lines," in the "Configuring the System" chapter.

Maintaining LAT

Maintaining LAT is a simple task. Cisco provides the following EXEC command to delete an entry from the queue.

clear entry number

The clear entry command deletes a pending entry. The argument number is an entry number obtained from the show entry EXEC command.

Monitoring LAT

Use the EXEC show commands described in this section to obtain displays of LAT activity.

Displaying Queued Requests

The EXEC command show entry displays the list of queued host-initiated connections. Enter this command at the EXEC prompt:

show entry
Example Output:
rubble>show entry
 1 waiting 0:02:22 for port 5 from LAT node BLUE
 2 waiting 0:00:32 for port 5 from LAT node STELLA

In this sample, two LAT connections are waiting for access to port 5 of the terminal server. The list is ordered, so that the lower numbered entry has been waiting longer, and will get to use the line next. The display shows how long each connection attempt has been waiting, the port for which the connection is waiting, and the name of the user trying to make the connection.

Displaying Advertised Services

The EXEC command show lat advertised shows all of the LAT services which a terminal server offers to other systems running LAT on the network. Enter this command at the EXEC prompt:

show lat advertised

Advertised services are created with the lat service configuration commands. The display includes the service rating, rotary group, if present, and whether or not the service is enabled for incoming connections.

The following is the screen output from a terminal server, RECLUSE, which has three services defined: CHINA-CAT, MODEMS, and RECLUSE:

Service Name         Rating     Rotary  Flags
CHINA-CAT           4(Dynamic)   None  Enabled
  Autocommand: telnet china-cat
MODEMS              0(Dynamic)     12  Enabled
  Ident: SpaceBlazer modem services
RECLUSE             4(Dynamic)   None  Enabled
  Ident: white recluse... 

LAT Advertised Services Display Field Descriptions

Field Description

Service Name Lists the LAT service name

Rating Lists the static service rating set, if any

Rotary Lists the associated rotary service

Flags Lists whether or not a service is enabled

Autocommand Defines the autocommand associated with the service

Ident Lists the advertised identification for the service

In the above sample output, the service CHINA-CAT is not associated with a rotary group, so it will be used for incoming connections to a virtual port. It is currently enabled for incoming connections. It has an autocommand set, telnet china-cat, which will be executed when the LAT connection is established.

The service MODEMS is associated with rotary group 12; its service rating is zero. This implies that all modems (all terminals in rotary group 12) are in use. This service specifies a LAT identification.

The service RECLUSE is not associated with a rotary group, nor does it have an autocommand, so it will be used for access to virtual ports on the terminal server. It also has an identification specified.

Displaying Defined Group Names

The EXEC command show lat groups command displays the groups that were defined with the lat group-list configuration command. Enter this command at the EXEC prompt:

show lat groups

The following sample output displays the named LAT groups and the numbered group-lists that define them.

Group Name          Len   Groups
cafeteria           3      13  15  23
engineering         7      55
manufacturing       10     70  71  72

LAT Defined Group Names Display Field Descriptions

Field Description

Group Name Assigned group name

Len Size of internal data structure used to contain the group code map

Groups Contains the list of group codes associated with the learned group

Displaying Remote Node Status

The EXEC command show lat nodes displays information about all known LAT nodes. Enter this command at the EXEC prompt:

show lat nodes

The following sample displays information about LAT nodes TS and Eng2.

Node "TS", Address 0207.0102.3302, usage 0
  Timer 69,  sequence 5,  changes 139,  flags 0x0, protocol 5.1
  Recv 0/0/0,  Xmit 0/0/0,  0 Dups, 0 ReXmit
  Groups:   0
Node "ENG2", Address AA00.0402.64DC, usage 0
  Timer 139,  sequence 103,  changes 0,  flags 0x0, protocol 5.1
  Recv 105/65/1072,  Xmit 84/68/121,  0 Dups, 0 ReXmit
  Groups:   0

LAT Remote Node Status Display Field Descriptions

Field Description

Node The node name as reported by the host
computer.

Address The MAC address of the node's Ethernet
interface.

Ident The node identification when a node
identification is set.

usage The number of virtual circuits currently active to
this node.

Timer The number of seconds remaining until this
nodes service advertisement message will time-out; this
value is set to three times the nodes multicast timer value
whenever a new service advertisement message is
received.

sequence The sequence number received in the last service
advertisement message received. Nodes increment their
sequence number when the contents of the service
advertisement change.

changes The internal representation of what changed in the
multicast message the last time the sequence number
changed.

flags The internal representation of various state
information about the node.

protocol The LAT protocol version used by the node.

Recv and Xmit The number of messages, slots, and bytes received or
transmitted to the node. The number of messages is the
number of LAT virtual circuit messages. Each virtual
circuit message contains some number of slots, which
contain actual terminal data or control information. Bytes
is the number of data bytes (input or output characters)
exchanged.

Dups The number of duplicate virtual circuit messages
received.

ReXmit The number of virtual circuit messages retransmitted.
Groups: The list of group codes advertised by the node's service
advertisement message.

Displaying the Learned Services

The EXEC command show lat services shows the LAT learned services. Enter this command at the EXEC prompt:

show lat services

The following sample output displays the LAT learned services.

Service Name     Rating   Interface  Node (Address)
ABCDEFGHIJ            5   Ethernet0  CONFUSED (0000.0c00.391f)
GLAD                 84   Ethernet0  BLUE (aa00.0400.9205)
  Ident: Welcome to Big Blue Term Server
WHEEL                83   Ethernet0  WHEEL (aa00.0400.9005)
ZXYW                  5   Ethernet0  CONFUSED (0000.0c00.391f) 

LAT Learned Services Display Field Descriptions

Field Description

Service Name Lists the LAT service name.

Rating Lists the rating of the service. If a single service is provided by more
than one host, the terminal server will connect to the one with
the highest rating.

Flags Indicates the state of the service.

Node Lists the connection address.

(address) Lists the advertised identification for the service.

Displaying Session Status

The EXEC command show lat sessions displays active LAT sessions. Enter the following at the EXEC prompt:

show lat sessions [line-number]

Use the optional argument line-number to show a single line.

The first of the following two sample outputs displays information about all active LAT sessions. The second example displays information about LAT sessions on one line only. A discussion of the screen output follows the two examples.

ts>show lat sessions
tty0, connection 1 to service TERM1
TTY data:
  Name "0", Local usage 1/0, Remote usage disabled
  Flags: Local Connects, Enabled
  Type flags: none
  Config flags: -FlowOut, -FlowIn, Parameter Info
  Flow control ^S/^Q in ^S/^Q out,  Mode Normal, Parity None, databits 8
  Groups:   0
Session data:
  Name TERM1, Remote Id 1, Local Id 1
  Remote credits 2, Local credits 0, Advertised Credits 2
  Flags: none
  Max Data Slot 255, Max Attn Slot 255, Stop Reason 0
Remote Node data:
Node "TERM1", Address 0000.0C00.291F, usage 1
  Timer 59,  sequence 5,  changes 159,  flags 0x0, protocol 5.1
  Recv 56/22/83,  Xmit 41/23/14,  0 Dups, 0 ReXmit
  Groups:   0
tty10, connection 1 to service ENG2
TTY data:
  Name "10", Local usage 1/0, Remote usage disabled
  Flags: Local Connects, Enabled
  Type flags: none
  Config flags: -FlowOut, +FlowIn, Set Parameters, 0x40000000
  Flow control ^S/^Q in ^S/^Q out,  Mode Normal, Parity None, databits 8
  Groups:   0
Session data:
  Name ENG2, Remote Id 1, Local Id 1
  Remote credits 1, Local credits 0, Advertised Credits 2
  Flags: none
  Max Data Slot 255, Max Attn Slot 255, Stop Reason 0
Remote Node data:
Node "ENG2", Address AA00.0400.34DC, usage 1
  Timer 179,  sequence 60,  changes 255,  flags 0x0, protocol 5.1
  Recv 58/29/186,  Xmit 50/36/21,  0 Dups, 0 ReXmit
  Groups:   0

The following sample output displays information about active LAT sessions on one line, line 10.

ts>show lat sessions 10
tty10, connection 1 to service ENG2
TTY data:
  Name "10", Local usage 1/0, Remote usage disabled
  Flags: Local Connects, Enabled
  Type flags: none
  Config flags: -FlowOut, +FlowIn, Set Parameters, 0x40000000
  Flow control ^S/^Q in ^S/^Q out,  Mode Normal, Parity None, databits 8
  Groups:   0
Session data:
  Name ENG2, Remote Id 1, Local Id 1
  Remote credits 1, Local credits 0, Advertised Credits 2
  Flags: none
  Max Data Slot 255, Max Attn Slot 255, Stop Reason 0
Remote Node data:
Node "ENG2", Address AA00.0400.34DC, usage 1
  Timer 189,  sequence 61,  changes 247,  flags 0x0, protocol 5.1
  Recv 60/29/186,  Xmit 52/36/21,  0 Dups, 0 ReXmit
  Groups:   0

Table 1-5 describes the screen output for the preceding two examples. The output is divided into three sections: tty data, sessions data, and remote node data. Where information on more than one session appears, there is a group of three sections for each session, preceded by a line identifying the session.


LAT Session Status Display Field Descriptions

Field Description

TTY data: Reports a summary of the LAT-oriented terminal-line
specific data.

Name Name used for this port as a port identification string. This
is reported to remote systems, which may display it in
some operating-system dependent manner. This is also the
value used for targets of host-initiated connections. Cur-
rently, this value is hard-wired to be the line number of the
associated terminal line.

Local usage Indicate the current status of the terminal. The number is
Remote usage reported as current/maximum, where current is the
current number of sessions of a given type, and
maximum is the maximum number of sessions allowed,
or zero if there is no maximum. If a terminal is being used
for outgoing sessions, the local usage will be equal to the
number of current LAT sessions. If the terminal is being
used for incoming sessions, local usage will be disabled,
and the remote count and maximum will be one.

Flags Indicate the current state of the line, and whether there
are currently any queued host-initiated connections.

Type flags Report flags which are not currently used in this software
release.

Config flags Indicate the current port state as reflected by the most
recent configuration message exchange.

Flow control Lists set flow control characters.

Groups: Report the group code list currently in use for the line.

Session data: Reports various parameters about the connection.

Name For outbound connections, the name is the name of the
remote service connected to. For inbound connections,
this field is currently unused.

Remote/Local ID Report the slot IDs being used to uniquely
identify the session multiplexed over the underlying LAT
virtual circuit.

Remote/Local credits The number of flow control credits which the terminal
server will be sending to the host as soon as possible.
The advertised credits are the number of credits which
have already been extended.

Flags Indicate transient conditions in the LAT state machine
dealing with the current connection status.

Max data slot Maximum number of characters which may be sent in a
single data slot.

Max Attn Slot The maximum amount of data which may be sent in an
attention message. As current LAT implementations
only send one-byte attention messages (attention
messages are used to flush buffered output), a nonzero
value means that remote data flushing can be used, a
zero means that it can't.

Stop Reason The reason that the session was stopped, if it has been
stopped but not deleted. This value is usually zero,
indicating that the session hasn't been stopped yet. If a
session persists for a long period of time with a nonzero
stop reason, this generally indicates a problem in the
local LAT software.

Remote Node data: Reports information about the remote node. The data
includes the same fields as those from the show lat
nodes
output.

Displaying Traffic Statistics

The EXEC command show lat traffic reports traffic and resource utilization statistics kept by the terminal server. Enter this command at the EXEC prompt:

show lat traffic

The report includes LAT packet statistics and current parameter settings.

The following example shows the LAT traffic on all active lines for this terminal server.

Local host statistics:
  0/100 circuits, 0/500 sessions, 1/500 services
  100 sessions/circuit, circuit timer 80, keep-alive timer 5
Recv:   335535 messages (2478 duplicates),  161722 slots,  1950146 bytes
        0 bad circuit messages,  3458 service messages (52 used)
Xmit:   182376 messages (2761 retransmit),  146490 slots,  36085 bytes
        1 circuit timeouts
Total:  23 circuits created,  38 sessions 

LAT Traffic Statistics Display Field Descriptions

Field Description

Local host statistics: Displays information about the terminal server.

circuits Displays the current number and maximum
support number of virtual circuits.

sessions Displays the current and maximum number of
sessions.

services Displays the current number of known remote
services, and the maximum supported.

sessions/circuit Displays the number of sessions per virtual circuit
supported by the software.

circuit timer Displays the value of the virtual circuit timer
parameter defined by the lat vc-timer global
configuration command.

keep-alive timer Displays the value defined by the lat ka-timer global
configuration command.

Recv: Displays statistics about local node receive totals.

messages Displays the total count of virtual circuit messages
received.

duplicates Displays the number of duplicate virtual circuit
messages received.

slots Displays the number of slots received.

bytes Displays the actual number of data bytes received.

bad circuit messages Displays the count of invalid messages received.

service messages Displays the number of service advertisement
multicast messages received.

used Displays the number of multicast messages that
caused the local node information to be updated.

Xmit: Displays various transmission totals.

messages Displays the total number of virtual circuit messages
transmitted.

retransmit Displays the number of virtual circuit messages
retransmitted due to the lack of an acknowledgment.

slots Displays the number of data and control slots transmitted.

bytes Displays the actual count of user data bytes transmitted.

circuit timeouts Displays the count of times that a virtual circuit timed-out
because the remote node stopped responding (due to a
node failure or communications failure).

Total: Displays the count of virtual circuits and sessions that
have existed since the terminal server booted or
rebooted.

Debugging LAT

These are the privileged LAT debugging commands. The EXEC debug commands described in this section are used to troubleshoot LAT sessions. Generally, you enter these commands during troubleshooting sessions with Cisco staff.

For each debug command, there is a corresponding undebug command that turns the display off.

debug lat

The EXEC command debug lat turns on debugging messages for LAT-related significant events. Events dealing with LAT control messages are logged to the console terminal and to any logging monitor.

The following shows screen output from high-level LAT event debugging.

LAT event debugging is on
TS#
Sending Start slot
LAT23: Connection complete.
LAT23: DataB: -FlowOut +FlowIn Set,  OutFlow ^S/^Q,  InFlow ^S/^Q
      *Parity 48      *Mode 0      *Speed 9600/9600
LAT: Host Initiated connection from ENG2 to :3
LAT3: created new inbound session
Sending Start slot
LAT3: Connection complete.
LAT3: Session stopped, code 5, reason 0
LAT23: DataB: -FlowOut +FlowIn Set,  OutFlow ^S/^Q,  InFlow ^S/^Q
      *Parity 48      *Mode 0      *Speed 9600/9600

In the preceding example, while debugging is in progress a user logs onto a remote computer system, and a host-initiated connection is received from the remote system ENG2. The DataB messages shown reflect the remote system setting of local port parameters.

debug lat-packet

The EXEC command debug lat-packet turns on more verbose LAT debugging. Packet-level debugging is enabled. For each datagram (packet) received or transmitted, a message is logged to the console. The following shows screen output from packet-level debugging.


Note The use of this feature severely impacts LAT performance and is intended for troubleshooting use only.
LAT packet debugging is on
TS#
LAT: O dst=AA00.0400.64DC, type= 2, len= 8, next 0 share 1
LAT: I src=AA00.0400.64DC, dst=0207.0104.3302, type=0
LAT: O dst=0900.2B00.000F, type= 28, len= 402C, next 0 share 1
LAT: I src=0207.0104.3302, dst=0900.2B00.000F, type=28
LAT: O dst=AA00.0400.64DC, type= 2, len= E, next 0 share 1
LAT: I src=AA00.0400.64DC, dst=0207.0104.3302, type=1
LAT SLOT: src 1, dst 1, len 1, code 1 (Data-A)
LAT: O dst=AA00.0400.64DC, type= 2, len= E, next 0 share 1
LAT: I src=AA00.0400.64DC, dst=0207.0104.3302, type=1
 .  .   .
LAT: O dst=0900.2B00.000F, type= 28, len= 402C, next 0 share 1
LAT: I src=0207.0104.3302, dst=0900.2B00.000F, type=28
LAT: O dst=AA00.0400.64DC, type= 2, len= 8, next 0 share 1g
LAT: I src=AA00.0400.64DC, dst=0207.0104.3302, type=0 all

LAT Global Configuration Command Summary

Following is an alphabetically organized summary of the LAT global configuration commands. These commands may appear any place within the configuration file.

[no] lat group-list name group [group...] [enabled|disabled]

Creates group lists that are associated with a name to simplify the task of entering individual group codes. The argument name specifies the name of the group. The argument group lists the group numbers. The list can be a single number, a list of numbers separated by spaces, or a range of numbers separated by a hyphen.

The optional keyword enabled allows adding a group code without retyping the entire command.

The optional keyword disabled allows selective removal of a group code from the list.


Note You must include the group parameter when entering this command or you will delete the entire named group-list.

[no] lat ka-timer seconds

Sets the keepalive timer to the specified value. The argument seconds sets the rate. The default rate is 20 seconds.

[no] lat retransmit-limit number

Sets the number of times that LAT retransmits a message before declaring the remote system unreachable. The argument number sets the number of retries. The default value is eight retries. The number can be set at any number between 4 and 255 retries.

[no] lat service-group {groupname|number|range} [enabled|disabled]

Specifies a group code mask to use when advertising all services for this node. Use the groupname argument to enter the group code name specified by the lat group-list global configuration command. Use the number argument to enter the group code. Enter more than one group code by listing the numbers, or by listing a hyphenated range of numbers, or by entering both a group code name and group codes.

The optional keyword enabled allows adding a group name or code without retyping the entire command.

The optional keyword disabled allows selective removal of a group name or code from the list.

If no service group is specified by the groupname argument, the terminal server defaults to advertising to group 0.

[no] lat service service-name autocommand command

Associates a command with a service.When an inbound connection is received for this service, the specified command will automatically be executed instead of the user receiving a virtual terminal session. The argument service-name defines the service. The argument command specifies the command to be associated with the service.


Note Do not use this option with the rotary option. TACACS or port passwords are bypassed for these services; only the LAT password is checked.

[no] lat service service-name ident identification

Sets the LAT service identification for the specified service. The argument service-name defines the service. The argument identification identifies the service that is advertised to other servers on the network, and is displayed along with the list of name services on the LAN.

[no] lat service service-name password password

Sets up a required LAT password for the service. The password argument specifies the password.¬


Note The password is obtained through the LAT password mechanism; Cisco terminal servers running software release 8.1 or earlier do not support this capability. Any services protected in this manner cannot be connected by a device running 8.1 or earlier software.

[no] lat service service-name rating static-rating

Allows the network manager to set a static service rating for the specified service. Otherwise, the terminal server calculates a dynamic rating based on the number of free ports which can handle connections to the service. The argument service-name defines the service. The argument static-rating specifies the static service rating. The rating must be in the range of 1 to 255. The default is to use dynamic rating.

[no] lat service service-name rotary group

Associates a rotary group with a service. When an inbound connection is received for this service, the terminal server establishes a reverse-LAT connection to a terminal in that rotary group.If the rotary option is not set, the connection will be to a virtual terminal session on the terminal server. The argument service-name defines the service. The argument group specifies the rotary group number.

[no] lat vc-timer milliseconds

Sets the time that LAT will wait before sending any traffic. The argument milliseconds specifies the timer value. The default timer value is 80 milliseconds. Smaller values increase the overhead on both the terminal server and the host. Larger values increase the need for terminal server buffering, and can cause noticeable echoing delay; however, increased values can reduce traffic. Retransmissions in environments using slow bridging can be reduced by increasing the value to at least three times the worst-case interval. The no variation returns the default value.

LAT Interface Subcommand Summary

The LAT interface subcommands must appear after an interface command within the configuration file.

[no] lat enabled

Enables or disables LAT. By default, LAT is enabled on all Ethernet interfaces on all terminal servers, but is disabled on all other interface types.

LAT Line Subcommand Summary

The LAT line subcommands must appear after a line command within the configuration file.

lat out-group group

Defines the group lists used for connections from specific lines, and limits the connection choices for an individual line. When a user initiates a connection with a LAT host, the user's line must share a common group number with the remote LAT host before a connection can be made. The argument name defines the group.

This command can also be enabled locally using the EXEC terminal lat out-group command.

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